If you’re sad that October is over for another year, writer and director Russell Goldman‘s (Halloween) short film Return to Sender may be just the post-spooky-season treat you need. Produced by Halloween Ends‘ Jamie Lee Curtis, this upcoming paranoid thriller explores the sinister side of online shopping. Goldman’s Return to Sender has no shortage of eerie moments that provoke a gut feeling that something isn’t quite right. In the short, Julia, played by Emmy-Award nominee Allison Tolman, is looking to start fresh after being released from rehab. She’s out from under her loving, if overbearing, sister Tat (Emma Pasarow), and looking to make her new house into a home, and Collider has first-look images and an exclusive clip.
We all remember those iconic horror movie moments where the call is coming from inside the house, or a mysterious caller sneers, “I want to know who I’m looking at.” Those heart-stopping twists that make our blood run cold and the hairs stand up on the back of our necks is what horror fans live for. The genre often plays off fears that relate to society and trends, and according to Curtis, Return to Sender is no different. The actress and producer said of the project, “In this complicated world of online shopping I find myself feeling more and more exposed. This film is born from that exposure and I think it’s a universal feeling and was ripe ground for a thriller. Russell is a talented filmmaker, and I’m excited by this work.”
In the short, under the stipulation that she logs into her remote recovery meetings, Julia is free to toil away with home decor and start living her new life. In the clip we get that familiar online shopping dopamine drop as the door opens to numerous new packages, ordered from the e-commerce company Smirk. When one package is opened, another four appear, like clockwork. When Julia comes across an item she didn’t order, something about that harmless corkscrew shakes her, but that’s common enough, right? With a voice-over from her sister Tat, the clip and images show that the corkscrew may not be the only eerily misplaced order that Julia receives, and though the customer reps can’t explain these packages, and Tat proves it’s a scam, Julia can’t get over her feeling that something dangerous is happening.
Goldman, who worked on the crew for Curtis’ big franchise reboot on David Gordan Green‘s Halloween and Halloween Kills, is a screenwriter and filmmaker with 5 completed short films under his belt. He’s also the screenwriter for Blumhouse’s upcoming feature film Mother Nature, currently in pre-production with Curtis tapped to direct. With short films having been the inspiration for a number of acclaimed films, including Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead and this year’s breakout horror Smile, we’d love to see Return to Sender made into a feature-length production. The short has made the festival circuit and garnered some much-deserved attention with its original premise. In a statement to Bloody Disgusting, Goldman explains his inspiration:
“I received a notification. The Valentine’s Day gift I ordered for my partner had just just arrived at my door. I brought the box inside and opened it, but what I purchased was not inside. Instead there were two used shin guards— stained, smelling foul— that I threw out of my hands. It sounds irrational, but by bringing this package I ordered into my home, I felt I had violated my own personal space. I kept thinking about who had done this. Why they would even do this.
“One day at work, Jamie Lee Curtis told me about a delivery scam her sister experienced… receiving walking sticks that she didn’t order but she still needed. It took me back to my fixation… the mystery that ate at me. This was my way into telling Return to Sender, a short about our desire for control over our lives.”
Return to Sender will premiere on Alter’s YouTube on November 15 at 9 a.m. PT. You can watch the clip below:
